10 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE September 5, 2003
eveningsout
A look at a beast that can darken the sunniest of days
The Noonday Demon An Atlas of Depression By Andrew Solomon Scribner, $13.95 paperback Reviewed by Kaizaad Kotwal
Depression is that heavy, awful state of being that makes living unpleasant at best and unbearable at worst. It has affected and destroyed many productive lives. It has afflicted both great and common individuals.
In recent years our understanding of this beast of mental, physical and emotional darkness has improved markedly. Yet, we are
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nowhere near a complete understanding of what causes depression and its related disorders. We are far away from a cure for the affliction. In societies across the world, the stigma of mental illness is only one more obstacle that the affected must overcome.
Andrew Solomon has written a most exhaustive tome on this unruly illness. The Noonday Demon, recently out in paperback, has been a bestseller and deservedly won numerous awards. The book is truly an atlas of depression in that Solomon takes us deep into the treacherous and convoluted geography of this affliction both form a very personal stand-
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point and also from a vantage point of exhaustive research and study of the disease.
Recent studies have reaffirmed statistics that gay individuals suffer depression at higher rates than the general population and that GLBT youth are at least twice as more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.
While Solomon's book is of relevance to anyone interested in depression, regardless of sexual orientation, it is a must-read for GLBT individuals who have come in contact with the disease, either directly or indirectly.
Solomon relates his own struggles, not only with depression, but also with his own homosexuality. The darkness and the selfhatred caused him to act out in very selfdestructive ways, intentionally seeking HIVinfection at one very low point in his life.
Solomon, who couldn't get himself to commit suicide, was so intent on a way out of his depression that he sought AIDS as a way of dying more indirectly.
The book is written with great insight, with immaculate precision and with a great eye for detail. It is flooded with a lot of humanity, much erudition and, even with some much-needed wit. Most of all, Solomon writes with well-articulate candor, never pulling any punches, and always being infor-
mative.
The book looks at depression in a tripartite of ways from the personal to the cultural to the scientific aspects of the disease.
In addition to chronicling his own dark odyssey, Solomon has interviewed many fellow sufferers, doctors, scientists, policymakers, politicians, drug designers and philosophers to delve into the complexities of this agonizing
disease which is threatening to become an epidemic on a global scale.
Solomon also delves deeply into many of the more thorny issues surrounding depression-the ethics of treatment options, the nexus of poverty and other social realities with mental illness. As a final task he also undertakes a history of depression and tries to explore some of the reasons why modern societies seem to be increasingly plagued with greater incidences of mental illness.
This book is a must read for anyone seeking a better understanding of this dark ailment. Solomon has provided the most comprehensive study yet and the very personal examples in the book are invaluable. This book is erudite without ever being incomprehensible or inaccessible. It is engaging and yet always informative.
Solomon's title refers to the ability of depression to make even the brightest of sunlit days to seem dark, dank and oppressive. If anyone you know has ever suffered from this ailment read this book to better help you understand their predicament. If you yourself have struggled with this demon, read it too, because you will find out that you are not alone and you will find ways of coping and help in the book that are worthwhile.
One word of caution: If you are currently in a funk or a state of depression don't read the book because Solomon's honesty and candid portrayal of this monster could exacerbate symptoms and feelings of hopelessness. But as soon as you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel pick up this book to find sustenance in its messages, in its analysis and in its utter humanity.
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